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DeKalb
Coach: Mike Wolf (25th season)
2021 results: 14th at sectional
Top returners: Korima Gonzalez, jr.; Brenda Aquino, so.
Key newcomers: Maret Siblik, fr.; Clarissa Ponce, fr.; Emma Hart, fr.
Worth noting: The Barbs are once again a young team with both freshmen and sophomores competing for the top spots. Because of their youth last season, the Barbs have experience in regional and sectional races and should be ready for a postseason push. … “We are young,” Wolf said. “We had three freshmen in our sectional line-up last season, and I expect a couple of freshmen to push for varsity spots at the end of this season.”
Genoa-Kingston
Coach: Mike Franckowiak (third season) and Grace Nelson (first)
2020 record: Ninth in Big Northern, eighth at regional
Top returners: Violet Northrup, sr.; Jessica Zweifel, sr.; Azura Camaro, jr.
Key newcomers: Abby Andrews; Rowan Ellis, so.; Keara Ellis, so.
Worth noting: The Cogs have been working hard all offseason to improve from last year, and the early returns are promising, with each runner already posting personal records early on. The Cogs are a smaller team than last season, so if they want to qualify as a team in most meets, they’ll need to stay healthy. … “They’re giving it all they got,” Franckowiak said. “They’ve got a lot of heart. We are also looking to place at the regional meet. Our team will be working hard with high hopes to go further than last year.”
Indian Creek
Coach: Jody Olive (fifth season)
2021 results: One state qualifier
Top returners: Caroline Bend, sr.
Key newcomers: N/A
Worth noting: Caroline Bend is the only runner on the team this season, and she has experienced success in cross country. She qualified for the state meet the last two seasons and has been a competitive runner her entire career. … “She is recovering from an injury and hopes to regain her previous level of performance,” Olive said. “She is also an outstanding student.”
Kaneland
Coach: Doug Ecker (36th season)
2021 results: Third in I8, 27th at the state meet
Top returners: Alli Gonnella, sr.; Jade Unzueta, so.
Key newcomers: Aliyah Ballines, sr.; Danielle Bower, fr.; Graycen Cole, fr.
Worth noting: The Knights were bitten by the injury bug early and often last season but still managed to qualify for the state meet. The Knights have depth and should be improved from last season, but they will need to stay healthy to make it back to the state meet. … “The girls have an opportunity to be much improved over last season, but they need to stay healthy as a team for the entire season,” Ecker said. “For the state series, they will be in a much tougher sectional this year, so to give themselves an opportunity to qualify for state and also win the conference, they are going have to be better 1 through 7 over last year.”
Sycamore
Coach: Adam Bezinovich (11th season)
2021 results: second in I8, fifth at regional, 16th at sectional
Top returners: Hayley King, jr.; Maddie Stacy, sr.
Key newcomers: Layla Janisch, fr.; Emma Cox, fr.
Worth noting: The Spartans have a bunch of runners stepping up in competition to the varsity level who have had success in junior varsity and middle school. The Spartans will be a young team but have the talent to challenge for the conference title again. … “I am excited to see what this season brings,” Bezinovich said. " We will have many new faces in our varsity lineup, and I am looking forward to watching all the runners improve throughout the season, and for our varsity and JV teams to learn to run as a pack.”